Georgia educators hike Appalachian Trail to honor former student

ATLANTA - A group of educators from Kennesaw will soon be hiking the Appalachian Trail in honor of one of their students. They call themselves "Laura's Angel Army", after Laura Addison who passed away two months ago at the age of 15 after a long, brave fight against Rett Syndrome. Rett Syndrome is a rare, severe neurological disorder.

Laura's Angel Army was started by a Parapro at Awtrey Middle School where Laura was a student. Dave Jones said he wanted to do something special for Laura who inspired him in so many ways every day. He wanted to do a hike in her name but decided the only thing big enough to truly honor Laura would be to hike the Appalachian Train.

Seven people will start the hike early Monday morning at Amicalola Falls State Park on the morning of June 18. They plan to hike the Georgia portion of the trail, and if time and weather permits, will keep hiking into North Carolina. Others are planning to join the hike along the way.

Laura's Angel Army hopes the hike will help raise awareness of Rett Syndrome and other disabilities. They also hope to raise money to help other special education students at Awtrey Middle School in Kennesaw.

Follow their progress on their Facebook page, @LaurasAngelArmy.